The Healthy Way To Say Goodbye To Football

Dr. Angelos Halaris, a psychiatrist at Loyola University Health System told Wired that as sports fans watch an exciting and emotion-packed event like the Super Bowl, increased levels of dopamine are released throughout their bodies. But the more dopamine that's released and the "higher" we get, the more we'll eventually have to come down.

And after all the anticipation and excitement that comes with the Super Bowl, there are likely many people who were feeling particularly somber on Monday.

Making matters worse is the knowledge that the NFL season is over, and we won't be watching our beloved teams for another seven months.

So if you're feeling dismal this week, Halaris has a few suggestions.

"Try, for the next few weeks, to recapture some elements that contributed to the sense of enjoyment you felt during the sporting season,” Halaris told Wired. "If you were watching games with friends, get together, talk about it, reminisce, or replay games so you can go back and relive the experience until the withdrawal fades away."

Perhaps most important is that fans do not avoid football completely or go "cold turkey." Rather, watching clips on YouTube or highlights of old games can actually help ease the pain.